Adult attachment orientations, self-other boundary regulation, and splitting tendencies in a college sample

In a sample of 247 college students, the contributions of adult attachment orientations and several other boundary regulation variables to measures of self-splitting (i.e., the tendency to report diffuse and chaotic self-expe riences) and other-splitting (i.e., the tendency to acknowledge unstable pe rceptions of and feelings toward one's friends) were explored. Adult attach ment orientations and self-other boundary regulation variables, respectivel y, explained unique variance in each criterion measure. High levels of atta chment anxiety and self-concealment and low levels of self-other differenti ation contributed most prominently to self-splitting, whereas high attachme nt anxiety, low emotional reactivity, and high needs for social approval be st predicted other-splitting. Implications of these findings for advancing a more delineated understanding of splitting tendencies are discussed.